New Footage.... Wu Kong get punish for helping tang monk....
New Footage.... Wu Kong get punish for helping tang monk....
WOW. I just watched that seven minute scene.
My fears regarding ZJZ's adaptation for the past year or so have completely faded. Unless that scene was taken completely out of context, it would seem that ZJZ's version has just as much emotion/drama and deep philosophy as last year's Zhejiang version.
This was the deal breaker for me from the very beginning. Regardless of the expensive SFX and flashy CGI, I was really just concerned about how REAL, powerful, and thought-provoking this version would be.
Whether it would be more like the Zhejiang version or the overrated, piece-of-crap 1986 version with the horrible acting, horrible dialogue, horrible direction, horrible editing, and absolutely no believable drama or spiritual/philosophical wisdom (even though that's the whole damn point of the story).
Thankfully, if that scene is any indication, it is very much the FORMER. That seven minutes alone was just chock full of emotion and deep religious/philosophical wisdom.
I have to commend Zhang Ji Zhong ... because NOW someone has FINALLY produced the WHOLE package ... an adaptation of the story that is COMPLETE, well-directed, well-choreographed, well-written, and with plenty of believable drama and philosophy.
Finally, a version worthy of completely and absolutely replacing that overrated, made-for-children-and-retards 1986 piece-of-crap excuse for an adaptation.
I am now officially on ZJZ's side of the fence and will defend this masterpiece against any morons who still cling to any of the crap versions from the past.
FAIL.
Zhang Ji Zhong and his team hit the ball out of the park with this one, covering every single base (don't know why I'm using baseball references) possible, from the direction and acting to the intense action and effects to the raw emotion and wise philosophy. These guys have done something fantastic here and they need to be commended ... on the other hand, in light of this FAR superior version of the story (and it's been a long time coming), all the crap adaptations from the past need to be retroactively REPRIMANDED for the garbage that they are ... especially the Hong Kong and Japanese versions, which barely even follow the novel and are comedic/comical in nature ... that alone makes me want to vomit in disgust. If you want comedy, watch The Office.
Chinese mythology is as deep and as serious as anything in this f****** world can get. Chinese myth is the ONLY thing in the pop culture/fiction world that delivers the deep philosophical wisdom of Taoist/Buddhist philosophies and teachings and their associated elements (dao, yin yang, Eight Diagrams, etc.). Funny = FAIL. This isn't a f****** joke.
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FINALLY! After over 400 years since Wu Cheng'en originally wrote this Chinese myth epic, there FINALLY exists a worthy television series adaptation that excels in every way possible. Don't know why it took so damn long with crap version after crap version, but there is FINALLY a Journey to the West that is worth watching.
Halle-f*****-lujah.
Drama and philosophy forever. Strength of heart and mind.
Everything else = FAIL.
Only those strong mentally as well as emotionally can truly appreciate such genius.
Last edited by PrinceKrillo; 07-26-11 at 06:48 PM.
http://kibescorporation.blogspot.com/
"The Universe is Zero-Sum ... Opposing Forces Maintaining an Intricate and Eternal Balance."
☯ 张影焰 Shadowblaze ☯
Thanks for taking the times and thought to type this up. I really have no comment except for what you said about the 1986 version on account that the 1986 version didn't have the technology to do things like they can with the 2011 version. Though I don't learn as much from journey to the west about philosophy and stuff like you, I still enjoy watching Journey to the West because it's funny and entertaining.
What can beat watching Journey to the West when you're bored and craving for something entertaining to watch on the screen?
Well, it wasn't really just in this thread. After watching that video I immediately posted the same thing to Facebook and my blog.
As far the original CCTV adaptation goes, I don't really have a problem with its cheesy and outdated special effects.
What has always pissed me off about it is that the acting is medicore at best and the characters are not at all believable. They do not take the time to develop ANY of the characters, whereas the Zhejiang version developed nearly EVERY character in the series ... demon, god, immortal, whatever, which I'm hoping (and am more confidant now having seen how ZJZ's series watches and feels) the new adaptation will also do, hopefully even better.
The original CCTV adaptation also lacked drama .... which is funny because it's classfied as a "drama." They obviously only cared about the action/costume aspects of the series and completely ignored any of what gives a series SUBSTANCE.
The general rule of thumb is this ... Wu Cheng'en didn't write JTTW as some light-hearted story for children to read and have fun with. Like all TRUE Chinese myth, there is DEEP philosophical wisdom behind it. Wu Cheng'en wrote this novel as an allegory, in which the journey of Xuan Zang and his disciples represents a person's own journey to spiritual and philosophical enlightenment throughout life.
So if an adaptation of JTTW is clearly made for children, and children can understand and appreciate the dialogue ... then in my book, it FAILS. It fails to do what it's supposed to.
That seven minute scene there? That's EXACTLY what I've been waiting for ZJZ to deliver. I doubt very many children would have been able to interpret, let alone appreciate, what Xuan Zang said. Like the Zhejiang version's Victor Chen, this Xuan Zang is also apparently far, far superior to the idiot portrayed by three random actors 25 years ago. Xuan Zang is supposed to be the dispenser of philosophical wisdom throughout the journey ... that's the only f****** reason why three overpowered, god-like warriors would pledge themselves as his disciples. Because MENTAL acuity >>>>>> physical prowess.
Praise 西游记 2011
Last edited by PrinceKrillo; 07-26-11 at 08:12 PM.
http://kibescorporation.blogspot.com/
"The Universe is Zero-Sum ... Opposing Forces Maintaining an Intricate and Eternal Balance."
☯ 张影焰 Shadowblaze ☯
Here's a few more clips i found on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HWcA...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgEer...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBtG5...eature=related
They are from the same person of which the video I been embeding it on here. it would be better if you embed them too. there's so many people on here that are skeptical of link these day that they will never click on any links lol.
here watch this
JTTW 2011 will be aired in less than 24 hours
What TV station is it going to be broadcast on?
You know who should play as the monkey king taoist master?
this guy....He was good in Vampire Expert 1 and 2.
Good, I like that clip ... even though it's really short. I wanted to hear more about what they were saying.
It was incredibly philosophical as well as political. Exactly what I wanted to see from this series. Sun Wu Kong arguing with the Taoist gods about "dao" and philosophy is what this story is all about.
Then again ... some of those clips are quite lame. I watched the one where they're making the medicine using the horse piss ... ugh. It's amazing how the series can be deep and contemplative one minute and then turn to some lame attempt at comedy in another.
EDIT: In addition, I've already found an error or two in this adaptation. In that video where Sun Wu Kong visits the Dragon King of the Eastern Seas, he states that the Jade Dragon is HIS third son. That is incorrect. The Jade Dragon is the third prince of the WESTERN seas, not eastern.
In fact, he is Yang Jian's brother-in-law, as Yang Jian was married to the third princess of the western seas.
Last edited by PrinceKrillo; 07-28-11 at 01:56 AM.
http://kibescorporation.blogspot.com/
"The Universe is Zero-Sum ... Opposing Forces Maintaining an Intricate and Eternal Balance."
☯ 张影焰 Shadowblaze ☯
I like these two clips.
The first one has Sun Wu Kong trying to impart some Buddhist philosophical teachings to Bai Gu Jing ... with her basically saying "f*** that." (An Yi Xuan is great in this role)
The second one feels a lot like the Zhejiang version, with Xuan Zang imparting more philosophical wisdom to his disciples while on the road.
Some of the clips are just plain retarded, though.
I'm going to have to start watching entire episodes before really passing judgment here.
Still far, far superior to the '86 original. When in the hell did that version ever impart any kind of philosophical wisdom? The #1 job of any Chinese myth series is to impart Taoist philosophies.
Thank God Zhang Ji Zhong seems to have understood that while producing this series.
Last edited by PrinceKrillo; 07-28-11 at 02:19 AM.
http://kibescorporation.blogspot.com/
"The Universe is Zero-Sum ... Opposing Forces Maintaining an Intricate and Eternal Balance."
☯ 张影焰 Shadowblaze ☯